Dear Neighbors,
I hope you had a great Fourth of July weekend! We live in a nation with prosperity and opportunity that has been surpassed by none. What a blessing to be able to celebrate that!
Blooming Prairie Celebrates 150 Years
Over the weekend, I was fortunate to spend time in Blooming Prairie for their 150th anniversary celebration; what a milestone! I love Blooming Prairie. It’s a beautiful town with kindhearted people - and you'll also find one of the best bakeries in all of Minnesota there: The Bakery! Hope you get a chance to visit this beautiful community sometime!
Transportation Bill Overview
Next in our series of legislative issue rundowns is transportation. Having a budget surplus coming into the legislative session, we heard from Minnesotans across the state who asked legislators to invest more in transportation. We not only did that, but we went above and beyond - we passed the largest investment in road and bridge improvements in our state’s history without raising the gas tax or license tab fees. Our transportation package will make significant investments in our infrastructure, improve safety, and make travel better for all of us. Some of the big transportation-related proposals that are now law include:
- 10-year, $5 billion increase in transportation funding
- A significant investment of new road and bridge funding at the county and city level over the next four years. Here are a few dollar figures to highlight our area:
- $1.7 million more for Freeborn County
- $1.6 million more for Steele County
- $1.2 million more for Dodge County
- $1.4 million more for Faribault County
- $272,000 more for Albert Lea
- $16 million for cities under 5,000 in the next two years to address transportation needs
- Clarks Grove, Wells, Hayward, Glenville, Blooming Prairie, and more in our district will see an increase in state investment
- $102 million for trunk highway funding
- $4 million for township roads
- $25 million in 2018-2019 to repair or replace 97 bridges throughout the state
- Utilizes $300 million of transportation-related taxes to pay for improved road and bridge infrastructure
- Doesn’t raise gas tax or tab fees
- A bill to become compliant with the federal REAL ID Act
- Allows Minnesotans to fly on commercial airplanes after the October 2018 compliance deadline
Please Contact Me
I’ll have another update next week where I will highlight more of our new legislation, so be on the lookout for that. Until then, feel free to contact my office if you need anything.
Enjoy the weekend,
Peggy